


Cookies

by CoatSwapInn (mybelovedtwinflower)



Category: Archipelago (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Grief
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-27 00:26:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8380279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mybelovedtwinflower/pseuds/CoatSwapInn
Summary: Set in the future of Archipelago following famous demon hunters.





	1. Shadowmandyrs

Nim stood in the shadow of the buildings. Thick shadows covered her, bringing an added chill on the already bone numbing autumn day.  
In the corner where wall met ground a small inky blob impaled by her spear trembled it’s death throes. Harsher shadowmandyrs sent out hunting by Simon had done most of the job. She’d just shown up in time to deal the mercy blow on this one that had slipped out.  
Nim jerked her swear out and flicked it hard to clear the clinging bits off.  
Simon had taken to feeding the shadowmandyrs from their hunts, but turned out demons didn’t make the most well rounded meals for other demons. He had to supplement with sheep and chickens from the local farmers. Purchased ones, of course.  
Jun was growing old. He’d lose her soon. The shadowmandyrs didn’t seem to show age, and Willium had given Simon some tough lessons… Simon had to either find someone who could take them or be rid of them himself in old age.

She slumped for a heartbeat. Damn it all. Her knuckles, already icy numb in the cold, were white as she gripped her spear. They hadn’t set a plan for if he’d died. 

Now she and her husband were chasing down the grief stricken demons, many of which were scattered pursuing misguided vengeance. 

The wind of the storm building off shore knocked against her. “Nim,” Her husband’s voice came through the magical card. He sounded wary beyond his usual years as he said, “it’s time to come in from the cold. We’re done…”

Oh.  
The shadowmandyrs… they were connected… and it took a certain percentage for them to lose those connections. Willium had been holding one, a small fragile one that still held to the personality that Simon had encouraged in them… It would show them signs of there were more out there. If he was calling her in, that meant it was true. They’d got them all…  
She really couldn’t feel the storm chill anymore. A part in the back of her mind voiced some concern over that.  
She straightened her shoulders in a fake it until you make it effort and headed back to the inn they’d established as headquarters on this mission.

No one was in the lobby when she entered. She tossed her fur cape onto the coatrack where- damp from the heavy mist and drizzling pre-rain -it slowly dripped water onto the floor.

She’d need to do something about the wet hair that clung to her neck… Willium should be by the fire. She headed that way.  
She saw his shoulder around the back of the seat that he sat hunched over in next to the flickering flames.

She leaned her spear against the back of the seat and her hand trailed down from his shoulder to intertwine her fingers with his own.  
Mourning Simon… would take time.

His other hand cradled the small shadowmandyr within a lidless jar. Earlier it had tendrils of shadows out of the lid, but now, finally, it was last curled up wisp of the darkness that remained.  
Jun was laying despondent at the front of the fireplace, her old bones ached but even more so did her heart. Nim clucked her tongue at the dog and only got the smallest ear twitch in response.

“Poor beast…” Willium said, his voice hoarse. Nim leaned her weight lightly into his shoulder in consolement. The three of them… two famous demon hunters and an old dog, would stay in silence for the rest of the evening. Everything that needed done… had either been arranged, or could wait until the morning now. No one moved to stoke the fire as the room grew dark.

\---

Lydia bowed her head over the low lit desk where she’d been writing, or at least so she’d been attempting prior to the candle burning too low. The tear stained papers had only a few increasingly shaky words on them. Her mother… Writing this letter to her mother was somehow even worse than getting the news in the first place. Her mind kept running over everything. She’d been holding her son when the knock on the door came… Spending time cuddling the small boy when his father was out on short hunting was a well worn routine, even though Milo was scarcely four months old. It had meant to be a quick trip, just there and back over a day… followed by news from both Nim and Willium promising to bring him back… and the days trying to keep young Milo happy even as she feared for the life of his father…  
The relief of hearing her husband’s voice over the magic card promising he’d be home soon…  
and…  
The cookies still left stale on the counter, not even taken off the cooling rack where she’d been piling them eager for his return… 


	2. Fortress

Milo grumbled heartily and stretched out his full length on the rough wooden floor boards that made up the unfinished base of the fort. His friend hung from the higher branches. Tobias was maybe two feet above Milo’s highest reach, which was just frustrating enough on it’s own. The fact that the two were currently having a fight was only fuel on the fire. 

—

Lydia pushed the hedge of creeper vines to a more appropriate position and wrapped the twine around them and the support post to hold them in place. “There you go, Mom.” She said with a satisfied smile as she used the back of her hand to wipe some of the clinging sweat off her brow. Tabitha looked up from her reclined seat overviewing the garden and gave the plants criticizing look, and was pleased with the effect if her toothy grin was anything to go by. 

“Thank you Lydia, the garden hasn’t looked this lively in a couple of years.” One of the older girls praised. Lydia chuckled modestly as she brushed some dirt off her knees. She’d been meaning to come back to the abbey gardens to help teach some of her tricks of the trade to the younger girls… she was just grateful she had been able to make the time. 

“Let me show you how I put this one together,” Lydia said.

“Where’s the grandson of mine,” Tabitha later asked softly over tea and old books. The rest of the girls had gone off to prepare for bed, split up into their dorms with older girls in charge of the younger in their groups. 

“Staying with Tobias for the summer.” Lydia said, then she snatched another handful of cookies from the plate and tossed one in her mouth. While she chewed her mother poured them more tea.   
“Tobias had grown so much since the last time I’d seen him. Those boys are reaching that age where they’re shooting up like bean sprouts. Are they finally taking that deserted island camping trip Milo was always talking about?”

“Yep, that’s the one, Mom.”


End file.
